Looking from Canada to the United States, across Niagara's Horseshoe Falls

Friday, January 23, 2009

Niagara Falls Then and Now: The Quality Inn demolished

The last of a series of motel buildings which comprised the Clifton Hill Quality Inn was demolished on Jan.23, 2009.The now-demolished buildings, marked with yellow dots, are seen in this several-years-old google earth image: (click on photos to enlarge!) above: the red area is where the 1856 Zimmerman-Bush Estate stables were, and still are today, renovated as offices and encompassed within a larger hotel structure.The blue arrow shows where the former Michigan Central railroad ran.The green-marked building was a restaurant, demolished several years ago; this is where the Sky Wheel now stands. The area where Clifton Pl. is shown as a road in the image above has now been converted to a plaza and entrance for the Sky Wheel; that road has now been shifted a little to the west to where the orange arrow is seen.At the far bottom right (pink arrow) can be seen the location of the tracks and the passenger cars of the old Clifton Hill Incline Railroad.*below: looking uphill, from Victoria Park, at the last remaining Quality Inn structure, as seen on Jan.9, 2009. It was on the brow of this hill that the Bush Estate once stood, overlooking the Falls.below: same view, Jan.19, 2009, building half-demolished. Note the Sky Wheel can now be much more clearly seen from the park.

below: same view, Jan.22, 2009, only a small portion remains at the north end.

below: looking at the Quality Inn building from the north-east, as seen on Jan.12, 2009.